Exceed the Requirements of Standard Environmental Methods using a High Performance GC-TOFMS

Regulatory environmental methods are becoming more demanding as laboratories are expected to detect lower concentrations, manage more complex matrices, and respond to constantly changing chemical use. In this on‑demand webinar, Dr. Jonathan Beyer, Application Chemist at LECO, demonstrates how GC‑TOF MS can not only meet—but exceed—the requirements of widely used international and U.S. environmental methods, while enabling additional non‑target insights in the same analysis.

The presentation focuses on three major application areas that represent everyday challenges in environmental testing laboratories:

• Pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables, evaluated against European Commission (SANTE/SANCO) identification criteria
• US EPA Method 8270 for semi‑volatile organic compounds
• US EPA Method 525 for organic contaminants in drinking and surface water

Dr. Beyer walks through how full‑range TOF data acquisition, combined with targeted workflows and automated non‑target deconvolution, allows laboratories to satisfy strict ion ratio, signal‑to‑noise, linearity, and QC requirements—while simultaneously screening for unexpected or emerging compounds.

Using real matrices such as spinach, blueberries, strawberries, river water, and drinking water extracts, the webinar shows how GC‑TOF MS delivers SIM‑level sensitivity in full‑scan mode, robust quantitation across wide concentration ranges, and confident compound identification even in heavily co‑eluting regions. The ability to archive full‑spectrum data also enables retrospective analysis, reducing the need for costly sample re‑collection when new contaminants become relevant.

Originally presented 16 March 2017.